Sunday, August 12, 2007

Is the statement by the Education Minister, "Singapore's education system ensures equal oppurtunity" true?

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Yesterday's Straits Times report by the Education Minster claims that Singapore's education system provides equal opportunity for all. First, this statement is false. Second, the education provided is itself mediocre at best.

There was a detailed study by an Australian professor some time ago, that the Chinese are overwhelmingly preferred for scholarships and top government positions over the Indians and worse still against the Malays. His report shows that consistently over many years, almost all and in some cases all government scholarships through the various government departments went consistently only to the Chinese. A quick look at the statistics even now will clearly confirm this.

Are we to assume that Indians and Malays in Singapore are almost always inferior to the Chinese when it comes to education? Or is there a deliberate policy to deny equal opportunity to Indians and Malays as opposed to the Chinese.

I have to say categorically that most ordinary Chinese have nothing against the Malays and Indians. My charge is not against my Chinese brethren. We live in one country which belongs to all of us. It is not the Chinese man in the street , who is the friend of all of us who is to blame. It is this corrupt Lee Kuan Yew Administration which deliberately wishes to fracture and polarise the society so that they, the PAP can continue to rule.

They are playing the oldest trick in the book, that is to divide and rule; to set up one group against the other, so that control becomes easier.

The Minister also says that in deciding on scholarships, the family background of the student does not matter. This is a complete falsehood. The scholarships are always given to children whose parents are supportive of this Lee Kuan Yew dictatorship so as to ensure that like their parents who are PAP supporters, their children too will continue to support this corrupt administration when they are given high paying jobs in the government upon completion of their studies. This is a very sure way to ensure the continued hegemony of Lee and his government. To put in another way, I scratch your back and you scratch mine.

Second, the education itself is mediocre. It is intended solely to teach vocational skills needed for their jobs, but not anything that can make them think abut what citizenship really means.

First, none of these students that graduate from these Singapore institutions appear to know whether they have such a thing as a Constitution and what rights they have. They do not appear to know that the government is there to serve them according to their wishes. They do not appear to understand that citizenship has it's rights and they are the ones who are in control. They do not appear to understand that they do not have to take no for an answer when their rights are ignored. Instead, they merely do their jobs and go home, assuming that it is the PAP government who have all the rights to decide how they should live their lives every day.

One can hardly call these people in Singapore, educated.

You can check it out for yourselves. Ask the clerk who works in the Killiney Road Post Office why is it that people need a permit in Singapore to speak to others in public. You would probably get a blank stare from her; nothing more than that. You might as well have put that question to your tin pot kettle! Needless to say, I doubt very much if you will get a lively debate from her on the virtues or otherwise of democracy. It would be no different than speaking to a person from the dark side of the Moon!

Therefore the observation is quite clear. The education system in Singapore does not provide equal opportunity for all. And second, it is deliberately geared to provide only half an education so that the people will continue in ignorance and permit this government to ride roughshod over them in perpetuity.

Another lie told by this corrupt million dollar administration.

And you can tell that to the Education Minister, a million dollar one at that.

2 comments:

Anonymous
said...

i think it's quite accurate to say that spore is attracting more and more new citizens. it is, after all, an attractive place to make a living if one is not politically sensitive. for the american mentioned, since he married an indonesian and probably wants to live in this part of the world, his choices are limited - spore citizenship is probably preferred to indonesian or malaysian. for the burmese, spore is an attractive place to live and work - some of these people actually prefer to live in an asian environment.

what is perhaps more pertinent is for the reporter to compare the loss of singapore citizens due to emigration with the gain. who/what is spore losing vs who/what she is gaining. common sense will tell us that those who emigrate out of spore come from the higher socio-economic levels and are usually better educated.

but the spore govt doesn't have much of a choice. it can't stem the emigration tide so it will just have to try hard to replace the numbers, and whenever they get a good catch, they will trumpet it.

You may well be right. What I wrote was entirely out of emphirical observation. I do not have hard facts.

However, I still think my general observation is correct. Not factoring in the political dissapointment that Singapore is, which itself is a major obstacle in attracting qualified immigrants; even considering the financial aspects alone, Singapore should hardly be the choice for any capable able professional foreigner.

Am I right in thinking that a young ambitious foreign engineer can earn approx $4,000.00 per month. Even a cheap HDB flat rental, $1,000.00. A car monthy payment $800.00. A spree in Clark Quay with Tiger beer and friends on weekends, $500.00 per month. Food $400.00 per month. Miscellenous $1,000.00. Well then, how can he survive, let alone the place being attractive?

On the other hand, to some it is very attractive, for instance the millionaire Indonesian money launderer. Park $1 million in Singapore with no tax. Spend most of his time, or even all of it in the French Riviera, because that is what they are doing, anyway.

Even others find it attractive. The day laborers and poorly skilled Indian, Bangladeshi and Burmese workers. They cannot emigrate to Australia because Australia will not have them. Singapore is financially better than Bangladesh for him.

But,as for the eduated young and amitious electrical engineer, Australia is a far better destination. He would have been a very poor engineer if he had to chose Singapore.

In Australia, a better house. A car. Better climate. And cheap beer. And camarderi. What can beat that; not forgetting freedom.

Followers

About Me

Determined to find the Truth.
Born Singapore, educated Winstedt School 2 (next to Monks Hill in Newton, Singapore) Raffles Institution, National Service, some travel in Europe, then law studies England, return to Singapore, practiced for 10 years, active Workers Party member, stood elections 1988 and 1991 in Singapore, was harassed and persecuted by Lee Kuan Yew for my political beliefs, left for USA, obtained asylum and admitted California State Bar, practice law ever since in Fremont California near San Francisco. Relinquished Singapore citizenship 2005 because I was not prepared to permit Lee Kuan Yew to unjustly retain my CPF funds if I remained Singapore Citizen. On principle, the only correct thing for me to do was to give it up, for my CPF funds. I am an American Citizen as of 2004.